Effects of graphene oxide dispersions on the properties of 3D printed polymer nanocomposites.

Abstract

This study reports on the synthesis of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA)-graphene oxide nanocomposites for 3D printing applications. PEGDA-graphene nano-composites were synthesized by the solution casting method. Herein, we report a facile approach of probe sonication for better dispersion of graphene within the polymer ma-trix. Moreover, the effect of the dispersion of GO on the mechanical properties of 3D printed nanocomposites samples of tensile (ASTM D638 type IV) and compression (ASTM D695) was studied with different dispersion parameters following the Taguchi-based design of experiment. Testing and microscopic analysis indicate that the optimum concentration of GO, sonication time, and sonication amplitude is (0.05%wt, 30min, 70%). Tensile strength increases 60% while the compression strength increases to 62%. The young’s modulus increased from 1.47 MPa to 7.0 MPa. Both the tensile and com-pression strength first increase and then decrease gradually with different dispersion parameters and also decreased by increasing GO concentration. The results are further supported by microscopic analysis and tested samples.